Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC Shares Bought by Jones Financial Companies Lllp

Key Points

• Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32.0%, owning 5,650 shares worth approximately $1,379,000 as of the latest SEC filing.
• Marsh & McLennan recently raised its quarterly dividend from $0.82 to $0.90 per share, representing a 1.8% yield and a payout ratio of 43.17%.
• Analysts have set a consensus price target of $238.76 for Marsh & McLennan, with six analysts rating the stock as a Buy and two as a Sell.

Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 32.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,650 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,370 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,379,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teewinot Capital Advisers L.L.C. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 21.9% during the first quarter. Teewinot Capital Advisers L.L.C. now owns 240,084 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $58,588,000 after purchasing an additional 43,110 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.4% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 32,891 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,026,000 after purchasing an additional 1,091 shares in the last quarter. Plancorp LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth $234,000. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.1% in the first quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 61,723 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $15,062,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at $558,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Barclays cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $238.76.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.2%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $202.97 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.27 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $99.78 billion, a PE ratio of 24.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.81. The stock's fifty day moving average is $206.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.43.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.41 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is 43.17%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.

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